The Intertwining Of Wanderlust And Kickboxing

Oanh, Office Administration Manager

One of my two greatest passions in life was apparent from kindergarten - the other has only surfaced over the last year or so. Both keep the fire in my belly alive. From as early as I can remember, I knew that my first and greatest love was travelling - and that it was something I was going to do as much as I possibly could throughout my life. It rapidly became my driving force to keep learning new things, experiencing new places, and furthering my education along the way.

When the sledgehammer of the global pandemic hit, I knew I needed to find something that was going to help me cope when travelling and visiting my large and close-knit family were no longer options. I discovered kickboxing - and loved it immediately. It increases my strength, speed and fighting spirit - it gives me power and energy that I had previously only found through travelling. The physical effort, the people you meet, and the thrill of discovering something new all bring me the same excitement I have always found through travelling. It’s my go-to and frustration outlet when my first love is not possible. But of course, there is more to life than travel and kickboxing. My career is very important to me. When I left high school, I was lucky enough to land up in hospitality when the industry was still in its infancy in Vietnam. It taught me so much and opened my eyes to worlds vastly different from the one I knew. This further fuelled my hunger to get out there and explore the world. However, I also knew that to advance my career tertiary education was calling.

My undergraduate degree under my belt four years later, my dream to travel led me to Lucerne in Switzerland for postgraduate studies in International Hospitality Management. In the meantime, my high school sweetheart (and future husband) was finishing his Ph.D. in Belgium so I followed him there and took some time out to complete an MBA. A Management Internship in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates called not long after - travel was always a personal growth enabler for me. 

Although I’ve been Vietnam-based for the last decade, I still journey, seek, and voyage wherever and whenever I can. Prior to the pandemic, we travelled a lot around Vietnam, all over South East Asia - and Europe when we could. My last trip was to Italy. I love the journeys themselves, meeting new people, discovering new food, sightseeing, exploring, and discovering new cultures. I’m still dreaming of going back to the Middle East - and I want to explore the US.

And now, of course, there’s kickboxing too. It’s kind of weird how two so seemingly different passions have played such a big part in my ability to broaden my horizons and further my skills. They both bring me joy and open my eyes to new and endless possibilities. I think Zig Ziglar sums up my philosophy in life: “I believe success is achieved by ordinary people with extraordinary determination.” 

#UnleashingHumanPotential; #SocialImpactOutsourcing